Boilermakers in Pro Ball / Summer League Links
BRISTOL, Va. – Purdue baseball alumnus Patrick J. Smith made his professional debut in the Kansas City Royals system Wednesday, working two innings of hitless relief to close out a 1-0 road win.
Following his senior season with the Boilermakers, Smith was drafted in the 33rd round by the Royals, becoming the program's first draftee in an odd-numbered year since 2009. He was assigned to the Burlington Royals (Burlington, N.C.) of the Appalachian League, which is classified as Rookie Advanced by Minor League Baseball.
The Appalachian League season opened this week and Smith appeared in game No. 2 for Burlington. The lefty took the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth after the Royals scored in the top of the frame to break a scoreless stalemate with the Bristol Pirates. He struck out three over his two hitless innings, fanning Minnesota alum Eli Wilson to finish off the victory and earn the save.
Burlington's roster features a few familiar names, headlined by fellow Big Ten alumni and 2019 draft picks Michael Massey (Illinois) and Dante Biasi (Penn State). Indiana State's Jake Means and Illinois State's John Rave are also new teammates of Smith. Rave played his junior season for former Purdue assistant coaches Steve Holm and Wally Crancer at Illinois State. The manager of the Burlington Royals is former big league catcher Chris Widger, who was on the Chicago White Sox's 2005 World Series championship team.
Purdue's National Letter of Intent signees Josh Mears (outfielder from Federal Way, Washington) and Adam Macko (left-handed pitcher from Stony Plain, Alberta) both opted to sign professional contracts after they were selected in the first seven rounds of the MLB Draft this month. Mears was selected by the San Diego Padres 48th overall and the Seattle Mariners drafted Macko in the seventh round.
Smith (2018-19) is the eighth Boilermaker to appear an MiLB game this season.
Nick Wittgren (2011-12) and Kevin Plawecki (2010-12) are also playing in the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians. Wittgren has enjoyed a breakout season, compiling a 2.84 ERA, .223 batting average against and 27 strikeouts vs. 4 walks in 25 1/3 innings as of June 19. He has recorded three wins, a save and seven holds in his 23 relief appearances since being called up April 9.
Wittgren and Plawecki have played in the same game 11 times for the Indians this season. They're the first set of Boilermakers to be teammates at the big league level since Bernie Allen (1959-61) and Joe McCabe (1958-60) both played for the Minnesota Twins in 1964.
LINDBLOM REMAINS AMONG TOP PITCHERS IN KBO
• After winning the Choi Dong-Won Award (Cy Young equivalent) and a Golden Glove as the top pitcher in the Korean Baseball Organization last season, Purdue alumnus Josh Lindblom (2007-08) is enjoying another strong season for the Doosan Bears. He won his league-leading 11th game June 20. Going into that start he had compiled a 2.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 92 strikeouts vs. 17 walks in 98 innings. As of June 19, he also ranked among the top five in the KBO in WHIP (2nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd), innings (2nd), ERA (4th) and quality starts (11, 4th).
• Four times this season, Lindblom has worked at least six innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out a season-high 11 over eight innings of one-run ball in a May 15 victory vs. Samsung. He has pitched at least six innings in 14 of his first 16 outings, going at least five in those other two starts.
• The Doosan Bears are 48-27 as of June 20, sharing the league lead in victories.
MORE ALUMNI UPDATES
• Tanner Andrews (2015-18) enjoyed an impressive stretch recently for the Clinton LumberKings (Miami Marlins affiliate) of the Class A Midwest League. Over three appearances from May 30 to June 10, he allowed only one earned on 10 hits in 16 innings pitched, racking up 12 strikeouts vs. 3 walks. He worked six innings of one-hit relief May 30 at Wisconsin in his finest outing as a professional. Four of those were 1-2-3 frames. He followed that up with five innings of three-hit ball, retiring the final eight batters he faced in a June 5 start vs. Cedar Rapids. He earned another victory June 10 when he did not allow an earned run over five innings of relief at Burlington. Andrews and Jake Walters teamed up as the two pitchers Clinton used in the victories on June 5 and 10. Walters is an Alabama alumnus and was a weekend starter for Greg Goff's team in 2017.
• Cameron Perkins (2010-12) is riding a 10-game hit streak for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers entering OKC's nine-game homestand that begins June 20. He's batting .361 (13-for-36) with five extra-base hits during his streak. Perkins has amassed 769 career hits in 753 minor league games.
• Jacson McGowan (2016-18) and Nick Dalesandro (2016-18) made their season debuts this month. McGowan is back with the Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) of the Class A New York-Penn League. He was a mid-season all-star for Hudson Valley a year ago. Dalesandro is with the Arizona League Diamondbacks (Rookie League). He walked four times as the cleanup hitter in a June 19 game at Sloan Park, the spring-training home of the Chicago Cubs.
• Alec Olund (2015-18) has started 13 of the first 16 games in his first season with the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers of the independent United Shore Professional Baseball League in Michigan. He's batting .298 entering the weekend of June 20 to 23.
SUMMER LEAGUE SUCCESS
• Tyler Powers is batting .333 while helping the Lafayette Aviators begin the season with a 12-5 record. Their 12 wins are tops in the Prospect League as of June 19. Powers has reached base safely in 15 of his first 16 games. As part of a three-hit game June 15 at Springfield, he recorded a hit in both of Lafayette's five-run innings.
• Blake Schmitt is also playing for the Aviators. Lafayette has won all seven games he has started behind the plate. Schmitt caught all 36 innings of a season-opening four-game sweep at West Virginia.
• Matt Moore had a unique outing for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League on June 16. He worked 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief, picking off a pair of runners at first base and inducing a 4-6-3 double play to erase a leadoff walk. Bo Hofstra is also pitching for Cotuit and has six strikeouts vs. three hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings over his first three relief appearances.
• Cole McKenzie is batting .353 for the Wenatchee AppleSox of the West Coast League, leading the team with 18 hits while playing in 12 of the first 13 games as of June 19. He has hit safely in 10 of the 12 games and feasted against a Port Angeles Lefties team that features fellow Boilermakers Justin Fugitt, Charlie Nasuti and incoming freshman Tommy Takayoshi. McKenzie is 10-for-20 with four multi-hit games vs. Port Angeles. McKenzie and Nasuti both homered in the June 11 to 13 AppleSox-Lefties series in Port Angeles. Grant Brunt, James Kulak and Johnny Sage also played for Wenatchee in that series.
• Fugitt (.314) and Nasuti (.320) are both batting over .300 for Port Angeles as of June 18.
• Also in the West Coast League, Kyle Wade earned the opening night start for the Bend Elks, working four innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 victory. In his June 15 start at Portland, he earned the win with five innings of two-run ball.
BRISTOL, Va. – Purdue baseball alumnus Patrick J. Smith made his professional debut in the Kansas City Royals system Wednesday, working two innings of hitless relief to close out a 1-0 road win.
Following his senior season with the Boilermakers, Smith was drafted in the 33rd round by the Royals, becoming the program's first draftee in an odd-numbered year since 2009. He was assigned to the Burlington Royals (Burlington, N.C.) of the Appalachian League, which is classified as Rookie Advanced by Minor League Baseball.
The Appalachian League season opened this week and Smith appeared in game No. 2 for Burlington. The lefty took the mound to begin the bottom of the eighth after the Royals scored in the top of the frame to break a scoreless stalemate with the Bristol Pirates. He struck out three over his two hitless innings, fanning Minnesota alum Eli Wilson to finish off the victory and earn the save.
Burlington's roster features a few familiar names, headlined by fellow Big Ten alumni and 2019 draft picks Michael Massey (Illinois) and Dante Biasi (Penn State). Indiana State's Jake Means and Illinois State's John Rave are also new teammates of Smith. Rave played his junior season for former Purdue assistant coaches Steve Holm and Wally Crancer at Illinois State. The manager of the Burlington Royals is former big league catcher Chris Widger, who was on the Chicago White Sox's 2005 World Series championship team.
Purdue's National Letter of Intent signees Josh Mears (outfielder from Federal Way, Washington) and Adam Macko (left-handed pitcher from Stony Plain, Alberta) both opted to sign professional contracts after they were selected in the first seven rounds of the MLB Draft this month. Mears was selected by the San Diego Padres 48th overall and the Seattle Mariners drafted Macko in the seventh round.
Smith (2018-19) is the eighth Boilermaker to appear an MiLB game this season.
Nick Wittgren (2011-12) and Kevin Plawecki (2010-12) are also playing in the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians. Wittgren has enjoyed a breakout season, compiling a 2.84 ERA, .223 batting average against and 27 strikeouts vs. 4 walks in 25 1/3 innings as of June 19. He has recorded three wins, a save and seven holds in his 23 relief appearances since being called up April 9.
Wittgren and Plawecki have played in the same game 11 times for the Indians this season. They're the first set of Boilermakers to be teammates at the big league level since Bernie Allen (1959-61) and Joe McCabe (1958-60) both played for the Minnesota Twins in 1964.
LINDBLOM REMAINS AMONG TOP PITCHERS IN KBO
• After winning the Choi Dong-Won Award (Cy Young equivalent) and a Golden Glove as the top pitcher in the Korean Baseball Organization last season, Purdue alumnus Josh Lindblom (2007-08) is enjoying another strong season for the Doosan Bears. He won his league-leading 11th game June 20. Going into that start he had compiled a 2.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 92 strikeouts vs. 17 walks in 98 innings. As of June 19, he also ranked among the top five in the KBO in WHIP (2nd), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2nd), innings (2nd), ERA (4th) and quality starts (11, 4th).
• Four times this season, Lindblom has worked at least six innings without allowing an earned run. He struck out a season-high 11 over eight innings of one-run ball in a May 15 victory vs. Samsung. He has pitched at least six innings in 14 of his first 16 outings, going at least five in those other two starts.
• The Doosan Bears are 48-27 as of June 20, sharing the league lead in victories.
MORE ALUMNI UPDATES
• Tanner Andrews (2015-18) enjoyed an impressive stretch recently for the Clinton LumberKings (Miami Marlins affiliate) of the Class A Midwest League. Over three appearances from May 30 to June 10, he allowed only one earned on 10 hits in 16 innings pitched, racking up 12 strikeouts vs. 3 walks. He worked six innings of one-hit relief May 30 at Wisconsin in his finest outing as a professional. Four of those were 1-2-3 frames. He followed that up with five innings of three-hit ball, retiring the final eight batters he faced in a June 5 start vs. Cedar Rapids. He earned another victory June 10 when he did not allow an earned run over five innings of relief at Burlington. Andrews and Jake Walters teamed up as the two pitchers Clinton used in the victories on June 5 and 10. Walters is an Alabama alumnus and was a weekend starter for Greg Goff's team in 2017.
• Cameron Perkins (2010-12) is riding a 10-game hit streak for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers entering OKC's nine-game homestand that begins June 20. He's batting .361 (13-for-36) with five extra-base hits during his streak. Perkins has amassed 769 career hits in 753 minor league games.
• Jacson McGowan (2016-18) and Nick Dalesandro (2016-18) made their season debuts this month. McGowan is back with the Hudson Valley Renegades (Tampa Bay Rays affiliate) of the Class A New York-Penn League. He was a mid-season all-star for Hudson Valley a year ago. Dalesandro is with the Arizona League Diamondbacks (Rookie League). He walked four times as the cleanup hitter in a June 19 game at Sloan Park, the spring-training home of the Chicago Cubs.
• Alec Olund (2015-18) has started 13 of the first 16 games in his first season with the Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers of the independent United Shore Professional Baseball League in Michigan. He's batting .298 entering the weekend of June 20 to 23.
SUMMER LEAGUE SUCCESS
• Tyler Powers is batting .333 while helping the Lafayette Aviators begin the season with a 12-5 record. Their 12 wins are tops in the Prospect League as of June 19. Powers has reached base safely in 15 of his first 16 games. As part of a three-hit game June 15 at Springfield, he recorded a hit in both of Lafayette's five-run innings.
• Blake Schmitt is also playing for the Aviators. Lafayette has won all seven games he has started behind the plate. Schmitt caught all 36 innings of a season-opening four-game sweep at West Virginia.
• Matt Moore had a unique outing for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League on June 16. He worked 2 2/3 innings of hitless relief, picking off a pair of runners at first base and inducing a 4-6-3 double play to erase a leadoff walk. Bo Hofstra is also pitching for Cotuit and has six strikeouts vs. three hits allowed in 4 1/3 innings over his first three relief appearances.
• Cole McKenzie is batting .353 for the Wenatchee AppleSox of the West Coast League, leading the team with 18 hits while playing in 12 of the first 13 games as of June 19. He has hit safely in 10 of the 12 games and feasted against a Port Angeles Lefties team that features fellow Boilermakers Justin Fugitt, Charlie Nasuti and incoming freshman Tommy Takayoshi. McKenzie is 10-for-20 with four multi-hit games vs. Port Angeles. McKenzie and Nasuti both homered in the June 11 to 13 AppleSox-Lefties series in Port Angeles. Grant Brunt, James Kulak and Johnny Sage also played for Wenatchee in that series.
• Fugitt (.314) and Nasuti (.320) are both batting over .300 for Port Angeles as of June 18.
• Also in the West Coast League, Kyle Wade earned the opening night start for the Bend Elks, working four innings of one-run ball in a 2-1 victory. In his June 15 start at Portland, he earned the win with five innings of two-run ball.